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Birds and Bears! Fireflies and Overpriced Final Fantasy! Must Be The Week In Gaming Apps
It’s the height of summer, which means that you’re hopefully going to be spending some time out on the town. And when you do, you’ll surely be taking your mobile device out with you, playing some portable video games. It means that animals will be romping about in the sunshine—bears, bees, birds, and maybe some…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 13, 2012 -
What Makes A Video Game World Believable?
In today’s Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Balmung the Apostle Hunter asked what makes a video game world believable, and Fontane has an answer. It depends on the type of game for me. In rpgs (both jrpgs and western) it’s a combination of interesting npcs and hidden areas/quests. Anything that makes it seem like there’s…
By Tina Amini Published July 13, 2012 -
Watch Two Bloody Chunks Of Fresh ZombiU Gameplay
Ubisoft has shared two new videos of direct gameplay from ZombiU, their Wii U-only survival horror game. The footage comes from the same part of the game that so impressed me when I played it at E3 The meatier part, above, shows the nursery level, where take it from me—stuff goes wrong—it’s a lot of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 13, 2012 -
This Batman Skirt Makes Your Usual Nerd Clothing Go Up In Flames From Embarrassment
I’m not usually one for overtly nerdy clothing—I prefer my nerdy clothing to be subtle or of the sleep variety, particularly since so many nerdy clothing designs feel lazy and unfashionable—but this… This is just a thing of cuteness. After stumbling on this overskirt (meaning an accessory-like article of clothing that ties on top of…
By Tina Amini Published July 13, 2012 -
The Comic-Con Cosplay That Almost Made Me Cry
My first Comic-Con has been a blur. Things to see, play and write about have dominated my time in San Diego but one moment yesterday brought back into sharp focus why I love the transformative power of pop culture. I was rushing from one crush of people towards another while I was on the way…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 13, 2012 -
The Tricky Math Of A $99 Game Console [Update]
Ouya sprung onto people’s radar recently with an incredibly desirable, or at the least incredibly interesting pitch. The would-be console makers offer a cheap alternative for gamers to play, and even hack and mod their way through the hardware and games potentially offered on the platform. But Ouya can’t possibly be relying on hardware sales…
By Tina Amini Published July 13, 2012 -
How To Break Final Fantasy VI
If you’ve played Final Fantasy VI, you’ve probably seen some weird glitches. Maybe you killed a boss by casting the spells Vanish and X-Zone. Maybe you realized that certain stats don’t actually work as advertised. Or maybe you used Relm’s Sketch ability on an invisible enemy and accidentally wiped out your Super Nintendo cartridge. Oops.…
By Jason Schreier Published July 13, 2012 -
Okami HD Will Be One of the Most Beautiful Things You Can Do With Your TV
You know how restoration specialists can rescue a masterpiece from centuries of dust and grime, restoring it to its original glory? That’s how it feels playing Okami HD Watching the PS2 classic come alive in its remastered form made me think that I might not ever have seen a video game with such riotously vibrant…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 13, 2012 -
Watch Ellen Page Become a Video Game Character
Actress Ellen Page is surely one of the biggest draws for video game auteur David Cage’s Heavy Rain follow-up, Beyond: Two Souls. This video from IGN shows Page assuming the role of Jodie, the spiritually superpowered protagonist of Beyond: Two Souls, as well as a couple of her co-stars, who Eurogamer says are TV stars…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 13, 2012 -
Get Stabby With Your Friends in Assassin’s Creed III‘s Online Co-Op Mode
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood and Assassin’s Creed: Revelations both had competitive online multi-player modes. Leaping into costume and stabbing other players (in the back) is nothing new for the series. But working with your fellow Assassins, instead of against them? That’s going to be brand new to Assassin’s Creed III At Comic-Con this week, Ubisoft announced…
By Kate Cox Published July 13, 2012 -
Codemasters’ Newly Announced Game Mashes F1 Racing And Mario Kart
Check out the announcement trailer for F1 Race Stars, a kart-style racer from Codemasters, who are typically known for more grounded, realistic fare. My, that is a heck of an incline there, at the end. The game will be out in November.
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 13, 2012 -
The Expendables 2 Video Game Feels Just Like The Over-The-Top Action Movie It’s Based On
Remember Watchmen: The End Is Nigh? A movie tie-in game that looked improbably good for a downloadable and then wound up playing like the most uninspired crap? That experience made me skeptical about the Expendables 2 video game. Granted, other movie tie-in games—like the fun Scott Pilgrim beat-em-up—have showed up on PSN and Xbox Live…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 13, 2012 -
Meet Borderlands 2‘s Craziest New Character
Oh, Tiny Tina. We’re practically like sisters. You’re tiny, I’m tiny. You’re named Tina, I’m named Tina. You were born in a ravaged Pandora, surviving on your own and getting your kicks out of exploding bandits and I… oh that’s where the similarities stop. Meet a newly-revealed NPC that will send you on a quest…
By Tina Amini Published July 13, 2012 -
Report: Vivendi Is Having A Hard Time Selling Activision
Latest gossip in the “Vivendi might be selling Activision” rumors that’ve been floating around comes courtesy Bloomberg, which reports today that Vivendi’s search is off to a slow start. Previous rumors had pegged Microsoft, Tencent, and Nexon as potential buyers.
By Jason Schreier Published July 13, 2012 -
A Real-Life Game Clerk Is Answering Your Questions Right Here, Starting at 1pm ET
Ever want to ask a person who sells video games for a living a question? (Other than “Do you know the release date for GTA V?”) What does a person who works the register know about video games and the people who play then? What’s the worst game they ever recommended to an unwitting shopper?…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 13, 2012 -
Want to See Wonder Woman Punch Batman in the Face? Here’s a New Injustice Trailer For You.
All right, I admit: in all honesty, Wonder Woman doesn’t actually punch Batman in the face in these clips. She more sort of picks up a car and beats him senseless with it. The Flash and Superman have a similar car-related altercation, too. It’s a bad game to be a car in. You definitely can’t…
By Kate Cox Published July 13, 2012 -
You Should Try The New Game From the Angry Birds People
Do you like feeling smart? Do you like feeling lucky? Angry Birds lets you feel both at the same time. And so does Amazing Alex, the new game from Finnish Angry Birds studio Rovio. This too is a physics game. This too could have been designed by Rube Goldberg. And this too is good. We…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 13, 2012 -
The Piracy Problem: Why Ouya’s Biggest Strength May Be Its Biggest Weakness
There’s an exciting new video game console on the horizon. It’s called Ouya. It doesn’t exist yet, though over 34,000 Kickstarter backers have opened their wallets to ensure that it will. Ouya has made all of its money—over $4 million during its first 48 hours on Kickstarter—on three major selling points: 1. It will only…
By Jason Schreier Published July 13, 2012 -
OK, Rockstar, But What Would Niko Bellic Really Do?
Grand Theft Auto IV protagonist Niko Bellic has some hard choices to make in his Liberty City adventure. Well, you have to make the choices for him. But what would Niko have done? That’s what a fan of Rockstar Games’ 2008 epic asked the company in a recent Q&A on Rockstar’s website. With enough spoiler…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 13, 2012